Below is the guidance on health and food given to us by our Prophet {sallallhu alayhe wa sallam}. Notice the strong emphasis on eating food during it’s season. And just for fun, I threw in a little food quiz!

.♥ والدة – walidah ♥.

Prophetic Medicine: Eat Seasonally

″. . . the Prophet used to eat from the fruits that were in season in his land, as this also is one of the best methods of preserving health.

Allah’s wisdom decided that every land has its own fruits that are suitable and beneficial to that land when in season. When the people consume these fruits they will help preserve their health and well being and it serves as several medicines.

On the other hand, those who refrain from eating the fruits of their area will be among the most ailing persons and the farthest from good health and well being.

The wetness that the various fruits contain represents the favorable heat of the season and the land. The stomach would then be able to bring the fruits to maturity and would fend off their harm, if one does not eat them excessively causing his nature to bear what it cannot bear.″

— Medicine of the Prophet

Quick Quiz
—what is one of the best ways to stay healthy?
—who decided which land/country a fruit and vegetable originally belonged to?
—why does a fruit or vegetable grow better in one place and not another?
—what makes that fruit/vegetable grow better in one place over another?
—we can get medicine from the doctor, but where else can we get medicine?
—what are three ways to get sick when it comes to food?
—what job do our stomachs do when we eat fruits and vegetables?
—name at least three ways to stay healthy?

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The next two weeks require consideration more than any ordinary menu plans.

Dhul-Hijjah —the last month of the Islamic year— began yesterday. Perhaps some members of your family will be fasting. If so, plan accordingly and provide a nice meal with which to break the fast.

Also, ‘Eed al-Adha is on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah insha’Allah. This corresponds to October 15th. Be thinking ahead to what your ‘Eed day meals will be. I prefer to have a separate menu planning form just for ‘Eed days.

I also like that Dhul-Hijjah is happening in the fall this year. It shall be delightful incorporating autumn’s fruits and vegetables into the upcoming days!

It’s Monday again! What’s on your menu for the week? And here is a tip from mom . . .

Set aside a day to bake handmade foods for your family. Designating a specific day makes planning easier and gives everyone something to look forward to.

The first thing I do is to make my weekly menu plan—deciding what I will cook and bake for the next 7 days. That way, I know which meals require breads or baked desserts.

While menu planning, I refer to my master baking list as needed. The master baking list is where I’ve written down the breads and desserts that I am competent in making. This list can be written down (if it’s a long one), or recalled from memory (if short).

After completing the main menu plan, I make out a baking plan based on the menu plan. Here is when I go over recipes so that I can add any baking supply needs to the shopping list. I also think about and mentally plan out the baking day(s).

Choosing a baking day is not really all that difficult. Make it a day when you know you will have a large block of uninterrupted time for kitchen work. In other words, no zoo trips or dental appointments on this day.

Depending on your situation, you may need a couple of baking days per week. Also, you may find it easier to schedule several short sessions in the kitchen, and to schedule multiple sessions to obtain fresher baked goods.

As you gain more experience with baking, you will be able to figure out how to configure your baking day(s). And, I hope you find that having certain days for baking worthwhile.

Instead, choose other vegetables/sides that are exciting but that still match well with meat loaf.

Express yourself freely when meal planning. Think up combinations that taste good while still preparing the foods your family is used to eating.

And you don’t have to find new recipies to loosen up in the kitchen. Consider foods you already know how to cook but vary the cooking methods for those foods. Alternate baking a food item, with even steaming, sauteing, boiling, or frying it. Potatoes aren’t only for baking or frying, for example.

It’s Monday again! What’s on your menu for the week? And most importantly, when did you make all those decisions?

Do your meal planning on a day when you normally have the least amount of chores and when you are usually home. I discovered this after a lot of trial and error. While learning from experience is a good thing, why reinvent a non-functional wheel?

I also learned to avoid choosing a day that you are usually busy on or have regularly planned happenings (e.g. grocery shopping day).

Sunday typically seem to be a good day for menu planning. One of the main reasons I prefer Sunday for this task is because it is the day that, in general, we make all of our plans and preparations for the upcoming week.

TV - Yes or No? [PDF] The Permanent Committee of Scholars have stated (in a fatwa) that the television is an instrument that in and of itself has no ruling regarding it; rather, the ruling applies to its use -- Dr. Saleh as-Saleh (rahimahullaah)